The Taste of Strawberries
by Kitty Malfoy
Summary: These are various Usagi/Other Character stories I have written and compiled. Haruka,Yaten,Kunzite/Jadeite,Galaxia,Saffiru, Rei, and Minako are up, and I'm taking suggestions of others to couple with Usagi. Not Mamoru. *WIP*
1. Usagi and Haruka

Title: The Taste of Strawberries  
  
Author: Kitty Malfoy  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: Mamoru has been cheating on Usagi, and she has a break down. A week later things are looking up...will Haruka seize the opportunity to confess the feelings she has towards her Princess that she is only now realizing herself?  
  
Disclaimer: The characters in this fic belong to Naomi. The plot is mine though.  
  
A/N: This is a Usagi/Haruka shoujo-ai fic. (Haruka and Michiru are just friends/cousins)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hello?" A female voice questioned.  
  
Usagi held the phone away from her ear as the voice on the other end giggled into the receiver. "Sorry." The voice apologized. "My boyfriend won't hold on."  
  
Dazed, Usagi lowered the pink phone and set it slowly back in its cradle. Her cream colored hand slid shakily off the bunny decorated phone and dropped to her side. The same shaking hand flew to her mouth and tears welled up in her cerulean blue eyes. Through watery eyes the blonde looked down at her Sailor Moon Address Book and at the page it was opened to - C. Mamoru Chiba's name was decorated with hearts and highlighted in pink.  
  
Usagi took another deep breath and picked up the phone. Slowly and deliberately she retyped Mamoru's number into the phone and held it tentatively against her ear.  
  
"Moshi Moshi." The same voice as before answered.  
  
"Is Mamoru there?" Usagi asked quietly.  
  
"Yeah hold on." Indistinct conversation carried on in the background and Usagi found herself lowering the phone before the masculine voice of her boyfriend asked "Hello?".  
  
The calmness that had enveloped Usagi shattered the second she hung up the phone. Waves of pain wracked her petite frame and she fell against her bedroom wall. Tears like raindrops flooded down her heart shaped face and dropped onto her T-shirt.  
  
Anguish turned to rage and she ripped the phone from its jack in the wall and flung it across the room. The dead tone of the phone off the hook was drowned out by a knocking on the door.  
  
"Usagi?"  
  
It was Rei. Rei could hear the sobs of her best friend inside, but try as she might the door remained locked. "Usagi what's wrong?" The fiery Senshi raised her hand to knock again as the door was opened.  
  
Usagi looked like a wreck. Her eyes were already pink and blotchy from crying and her odangos were falling out. Her bottom lip quivered as the tears kept falling. If Usagi had been wearing mascara it would have been running. The normally bright and cheery cerulean eyes were dark and shadowed and mirrored the pain in her heart. Her eyes were so overwhelming that Rei was forced to take a step back. It was all Usagi needed and she slipped past her roommate and ran out of her college apartment.  
  
The crisp spring wind pounded at her tear-stained face and thundered in her ears. It dried the tears but she still felt the ache inside her. Not keeping to any straight path she ducked into traffic dodging cars and ignoring the profanity yelled in her direction.  
  
Her sides screamed in protest by the time she reached Juuban District, her old home. She made it as far as the Crown before her eyes glazed over and she let her legs lead her. She ran straight through a pack of girls not slowing down or even apologizing for knocking one of them over.  
  
**  
  
Hotaru began to fall and the world slowed down. Setsuna and Michiru were both looking at Hotaru, but Haruka was looking at Usagi for it was them that Usagi had run into. Usagi was in mid step in the center of the group her golden hair in streamers behind her. As time seemed to return to normal Haruka turned her head as Usagi ran past keeping her gaze locked on the distraught blonde.  
  
Hotaru hit the ground with an exclamation of protest and the sound of Usagi's shoes slapping against the pavement faded away. Instantly, Haruka was running after her.  
  
Just when Haruka reached out to grab her, Usagi sped up; going at an inhumane speed. Both girls pumped their arms along their sides to gain momentum. With Senshi agility Usagi sprung upward and landed on a rooftop of the nearby building. Haruka decided, after some quick thinking, to remain on the ground as the two raced onwards.  
  
The spring wind tousled Haruka's short sandy-blonde hair and kept it off of her face as she ran. She kept her eyes partially shielded by their lids in an experienced manner to protect from the sharp wind leaving her eyes unhindered to watch where she was going.  
  
The thundering of Usagi's footsteps stopped and Haruka looked up to see the girl leap from the top of the building.  
  
With one leg bent and the other extended straight Usagi streamlined towards the ground. The wind pushed her pigtails up above her head and the waved violently in the open hair until they finally gave and came undone. At the velocity with which she was falling her skirt flew upwards and flapped against her stomach revealing black panties and long slender legs.  
  
She landed in a crouch and sprung forward again when Haruka leapt at the girl and tackled her. The girls tumbled to the ground and rolled into a grove of trees in Juuban Park.  
  
Haruka pulled the girl into her arms, and looked down at the childish face as the glaze left the blue eyes and left her looking morose. "What's wrong Koneko-chan?" Haruka asked brushing blonde bangs away from Usagi's porcelain face.  
  
***  
  
A week had passed since Usagi had called Mamoru's home. Since then she had broken things off with Mamoru for cheating on her.  
  
***  
  
Haruka's POV  
  
  
  
***  
  
I paced a bit; watching sheets of water hurl themselves at the window. If the weather cleared up, even a little, I'd drive out of town and ease my mood. The thunder crashed hard, shaking the walls, forcing that idea from my mind.  
  
The water I had set to heat on my stove began to bubble and I made myself a fresh pot, determined to find some relaxation and leisure for myself. As I was about to sit, there was a knock on the door.  
  
I called out, wondering who would come over in such appalling weather, and headed towards the door. It opened with a jerk and an extremely wet and downtrodden looking guest stepped in. She stepped out of her knee-high white boots, but she was soaked through to the bone. She stood in the doorway, clothes, hair and umbrella dripping profusely on the floor and smiled a bit crookedly up at me.  
  
"I don't want to come in any further, 'Ruka-chan, I'll ruin your floor." She wiped ineffectually at her face with a drenched sleeve of denim jacket.  
  
"Koneko-chan," I began a bit awkwardly, "What brings you out in this weather?"  
  
"I'm sorry to barge in on you like this..." she began to speak at the same time as I, then stopped. She laughed a bit nervously, tilting her head ever so slightly. "I came to cheer you up."  
  
"What?!" I stiffened, surprised and confused. A moment went by, and then I realized how rude I was being. "Why don't you come in? And don't worry about the floor..." I ushered her into the living room and grabbing a few towels from the linen closet, handed them to her to towel herself dry.  
  
She took off her denim jacket and laid it on a towel to dry. Beneath it she was wearing a pink sequined halter and an off-the hip white mini with a gold looped belt.  
  
When here hair and face were no longer actively dripping, I asked her to join me in the kitchen for some tea. Usagi held her arms and trying not to shiver, she nodded.  
  
I poured from the new pot and held a cup out to her. She took it with hands that were almost steady and sat heavily. I watcher her, her cheery nature warring with her dismal appearance and laughed out loud.  
  
"This won't do. You'll have to get out of those clothes or you'll catch a cold." She looked at me with a wry smile. "Come with me." I waved her towards my bedroom.  
  
I pulled out one of my dress shirts and a pair of Michiru's pants out of her bedroom. "I'm sorry, the pants will be a little long, but you should be able to make do..." She thanked me profusely and apologized for being so much trouble. I smiled as I left her. "Koneko-chan, you are never any trouble."  
  
In the kitchen, in consideration of Usagi's penchant for snacking, I threw together a tray of cookies and for the second time that night, heated some water.  
  
I heard Usagi enter behind me. I turned and tried not to smile at her appearance and failed. My shirt was long enough on her to be a dress, and the sleeves hung past her hands. She had forgone the pants altogether, leaving her legs childishly bare. She had dried her newly cut hair some more and it hung just past her chest with wisps beginning to curl around her cheeks. If it weren't for the mature body under the clothing, she would have looked like a child. In fact, she did look like a child, her eyes large and bright, looking up at me mournfully. But there was a mocking gleam in them that was not at all childish. Disturbingly, I was not sure which one of us she mocked.  
  
I set the tea and snacks on the table, which made her jump where she stood.  
  
"Oh!" She cried, "I completely forgot!" she turned on her heel and bolted out of the room. She returned in a moment with a pink bunny wrapped parcel. She handed it over to me with a bit of a grimace. "I made some cookies for you, but I think they've gotten wet."  
  
I stared at her, this bundle of enthusiasm, this unbridled energy source, who stood so unselfconsciously in my kitchen. The very air around her seemed charged with life. I shook myself out of my reverie and took the proffered bag.  
  
"Thank you." I managed to say, somewhat belatedly.  
  
She tilted her head and looked at me closely. "Are you feeling well, Haruka- san?"  
  
I didn't answer, but opened the bag and put the slightly soggy cookies on the tray. Without turning to face her, I asked, "What did you mean, when you said that you came to cheer me up?"  
  
She stepped up and put on small hand, covered by the excess sleeve on my arm. Her voice was quiet, but concerned. "I know that all the other Outers are gone, and when that happens you get depressed." I looked at her hand and she let go and covered her mouth, hiding a smile. "And I was on my way back from a club with Rei, when I thought about you, so I decided to come over."  
  
I "hmphed" at the implication that I was predictable and depressed. I knew it was true, but I'd be damned before admitting it. I could hear her giggle and busied myself needlessly with the tea. She sat down at the table and I sat, facing her, watching as she ate. It always amused me to watch her eat, so joyfully, so mannerlessly, just like a child. I caught myself - I was staring at her again. This girl was no child, as her lithe movements, and brilliant eyes attested. I was not aware that I had begun staring again until she caught my eye and pinned it mercilessly. Again, I saw that mocking flash and was immediately chagrined.  
  
Neither of us moved, no words were spoken for a long moment. I moved my mouth to speak, but could not. What the hell was she doing to me? Was she here to practice some new power, some ability to bewitch? I realized that young as she was, she was no longer unaware of herself. Nor was she completely calculating, either. Was this a game to her? What were the rules?  
  
"What are you thinking about 'Ruka-chan?" I shook my head and glanced at the clock. I turned back to my guest who was once again eating cookies and drinking tea. I sipped from my cup and let the bitter liquid calm me. I could hear my breath rasp, as I sought to quiet my pounding heart.  
  
Usagi looked up as the music that had been playing ended. "What were you listening to? It was very depressing."  
  
I'm not sure what happened, but the next thing I knew I was standing in front of Usagi looking down at her. My breath was ragged and husky, "I'm going to do something now, and I don't want to startle you."  
  
My guest tilted her head, as she had a habit of doing and nodded.  
  
In one fluid movement I lowered my head and captured her lips with mine. She tasted so good, and I wanted more but I ended the kiss leaving it sweet and chaste.  
  
I looked down at her and into her blue eyes, so open, so loving, so compassionate. I was so startled that these strange emotions could be directed to me that at first I didn't notice it. Then, I tasted salt and brushed my hand across my cheek; startled to find it wet. She reached up and wiped a tear away from my eye with her little bunny handkerchief. She pressed the cloth into my hands and clasped her hands over mine.  
  
"'Ruka?"  
  
"Yes Princess."  
  
"Do you want to get some ice cream with me?" She asked simply.  
  
I looked down at her in surprise and found myself nodding. She wanted ice cream. She wanted me. She wanted to get ice cream with me. She smiled up at me with her cheeks dimpling. Standing on her tiptoes she kissed my wet cheeks. Usagi started to lower herself but I held her there.  
  
Neither of us moved and no words were spoken for a long time. In that silence I thought about what I was doing and loosened my grip on her arms and finally let go of her. She smiled crookedly and kissed me then her tongue sliding into my mouth and massaging it. We parted and I looked down at her standing in front of me in my large shirt and smiled. She opened her mouth to speak...  
  
"You taste like strawberries..."  
  
*************  
  
R & R!! Love you all!  
  
Kitty Malfoy! 


	2. Usagi and Yaten

Title: The Taste of Vanilla  
  
Author: Kitty Malfoy  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Setting: Uh...Sailormoon world?!  
  
Summary: After first dumping Mamoru for cheating on her, Usagi is on her way to the Three Light's apartment to ask out Seiya - which is what everyone expects her to do. But wait! Here comes Yaten in the #2 car! U/Y  
  
Disclaimer: All Sailormoon paraphernalia belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. The plot, though, was dutifully thought of and recorded by my faithful plot bunnies: Fufu, Tofu, Mushu, Kovu, Washu, Princess, Rags, and Patches. (Rags and Patches are twins)  
  
A/N: Ok. If you are a Seiya/Usagi fan...shield your eyes and click the 'Back' button. I love Seiya too! He's Yummy! But I also like Yaten - Sex- sah! I wanted to try my hand at a Yaten/Usagi fic, since there wasn't many of them out there. Don't hurt me! I love you all!  
  
%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%  
  
Usagi stared out her bedroom window and watched the sun play hide and seek in the clouds. It was so perfect outside; so unlike the day before. Yesterday she had sat at the same vantage-point by her window and watched the rain pour down until it seemed as if the clouds were mourning. It was then that she had started thinking about Seiya. Thoughts of Seiya always found her when it rained. It had rained that afternoon on the rooftop of the school. When he had revealed the truth she had struggled to keep her feelings hidden. It'd rained hard yesterday. Just like that day...  
  
That day she had wished with her whole heart that he had been serious about taking her away after the final concert. But Mamoru...he deserved another chance, didn't he? Usagi knew now what she hadn't understood that day. She had sacrificed her own happiness for Mamoru.  
  
Usagi laughed bitterly to herself.  
  
Mamoru.  
  
Now the name burned through her thoughts like acid. She had convinced herself years ago - after the passion had died - that their love was still all hearts and rainbows.  
  
She had sacrificed everything for him.  
  
But isn't that how the story goes?  
  
Usagi realized now that the only thing that had kept them together for so long was not love but, ironically, fear. When someone tells you your destiny is "set in stone" it makes you a bit cautious and hesitant to give it up. She probably had never really "loved" Mamoru, but her mind had been tricked into believing what she was told.  
  
Usagi sighed once again and turned away from the window and her thoughts. At the prime age of 19 Usagi was heaven on earth. Her moon origins combined with the royal blood that pumped through her veins gave her unsurpassable beauty and grace. Her body was graced with supple curves in all the right places without an inch of fat on her entire body. Her arms, legs, and abdomen were sleekly honed and muscled from years of fighting as the sailor-suited, champion of love and justice, Sailor Moon. With the approach of Crystal Tokyo imminent, her hair had transformed to the color of moonlight. She wore it with the sides pulled back into a crescent moon barrette and let the rest fall loose to her hips were she had cut it.  
  
For today's excursion she had chosen a solid black tank top with a black laced, box collar. White, hip-hugging, short shorts left her long slender legs, rather indecently exposed, though, Usagi could honestly care less - if she noticed at all. Stooping to look into her vanity mirror she brushed a few imaginary stray hairs out of her face and checked her appearance. Usagi was born into beauty and she accepted it and left it at that. Never in her life had make-up marred her perfect skin, save for a dab of lip-gloss here and there.  
  
Large cerulean blue eyes filled her face - giving her a childish charm - and were framed beneath long and luscious ebony lashes. Beneath those eyes were finely sculpted and prominent cheekbones. Her small pink mouth quirked as she applied some vanilla lip-gloss, and she smacked them in a finishing touch. Her features were not chiseled but rather smoothed and artistic - even going so far as to be compared to that of china dolls.  
  
She gave her reflection a lopsided smile and a wink before she grabbed her white sandals and headed out of her room.  
  
"Usagi! Wow!"  
  
"You're gorgeous!"  
  
"Pulling out the big guns!"  
  
"You're gonna knock 'im dead!"  
  
"The judges give it a 9.5!"  
  
Usagi glared at Rei who was holding a makeshift sign with '9.5' written on it in crayon. Rei stuck out her tongue and flipped the sign over revealing a '10' in big gold writing. Usagi laughed and hugged her best friends AND College roommates.  
  
"Arigatou, minna!" Usagi squealed as she walked out of their penthouse suite and down the apartment complex's stairs. A chorus of 'Your welcomes' floated down after her as she descended to the main floor.  
  
Stepping out into the sunlight she found it was indeed as nice out as she had predicted from her window. The warm summer air broke across her beaming features and rustled her steel stained hair streaking it with beams of white light. The warmth of the day soaked into her and turned her erratic trail of thought, once again, to a memory of two days ago when she had first "heard" that the Starlights were back in town.  
  
Actually, it was more that she "sensed" it rather than heard it. After teaming up with Minako they had persuaded Ami to look into whether or not their old apartment had been rented out. Sure thing, it had been rented out to three persons around the same time Usagi had sensed their presence. The strangest thing...and the thing that hurt Usagi the most was that Seiya hadn't come to find her. None of the three had been spotted outside of their apartment. Recalling that small detail pricked her heart and she sighed.  
  
%&%&%&%&%&%&%&% (this might be kind of confusing)  
  
Seiya Kou wandered aimlessly around the Juuban shopping district. The landlord at his/her old apartment had been more than happy to rent to them, and they had settled in quiet nicely. He/She only wished that when he/she had been in Japan previously that he/she had taken the time to learn his/her way around, for now he/she was hopelessly lost, and would be happy to see any familiar face.  
  
Nearing a street corner, a sudden impulse made him/her turn right, but all that he/she saw there was a girl with pretty silver hair walking in his/her direction. The girl's eyes were closed as she walked and she looked blissfully at peace - not to mention she remained in a straight line, even sliding out of his/her way as he/she walked past her. The glare of the sun made it impossible to discern anything other than her closed eyes, but it felt as if he/she knew her. Warmth and light emanated off of her challenging the bright rays of sun beating down upon them, and Seiya found a piece of it fill him/her - and it felt good.  
  
He/she stumbled over uneven slab of the sidewalk and was snapped out of his/her thoughts. He/she looked around a bit more, until he/she realized where he/she was. With a sigh, he/she headed towards the park to work out some of his/her jumbled thoughts.  
  
%&%&%&%&%&%&%  
  
Usagi swung her beaded purse back and forth alongside her as she walked through the gate of the apartment complex where they figured the Starlights were staying. Stepping into the elevator she automatically hit the top floor button out of habit. After a consecutive amount of "dinging" to acknowledge the separate floors the doors slid open and Usagi stepped out into the hall.  
  
She counted the doors out loud as she walked down the hall before stopping at the sixth one on the right. In a nervous maneuver that betrayed her calm and cheery exterior she hitched her purse higher on her shoulder and raised her hand tentatively to knock.  
  
She hadn't thought much of it when she had rapped her closed fist on the oak door, but her loud and vibrant knock echoed through the empty hallway. Usagi winced. After a brief pause, the sounds of motion where heard and the click of a lock being released. The door swung open and Usagi almost fell over.  
  
She had to look down about an inch and a half, but a woman stood in front of her wearing nothing but an ice blue bra and panties. She couldn't tell the woman's hair color beneath the towel that was wrapped around her head, most likely due to wet hair, like a turban. The soapy toothbrush the woman had been holding fell from her hands in shock and hit the carpeted floor. Both woman turned bright red, and Usagi stammered out an apology.  
  
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I must have the wrong room! Really! Yurusu!" Usagi turned to go, but the woman grabbed her hand.  
  
(A/N: Yurusu means 'to forgive' or 'pardon', 'Forgive me!')  
  
"Wait!" The woman insisted.  
  
Usagi turned as the woman's turban unraveled and fell on top of the previously dropped toothbrush. Long charcoal gray hair drying to silver- white tumbled free, and Usagi noticed for the first time the woman's intense emerald eyes.  
  
"Yaten?!" She exclaimed, "Healer?!"  
  
The woman froze.  
  
Usagi's eyes lit up and she stepped up right in front of Healer despite the clothing between them, or lack there of. Usagi felt her heart contract in an unusual way when Healer made no indication of recognition. She and Healer had never really had any connection or even a mutual understanding for that matter. But why did it hurt so much? She pushed it aside and in exasperation, she held her silver tresses up into two buns on top of her head with her hands. That did the trick.  
  
"Odango?!"  
  
This time someone did fall over, and it was Healer. Usagi stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Quickly slipping off her shoes she kneeled beside the shocked woman. "Damnnit!" Healer swore suddenly. "I thought you were one of the other two...since we don't have multiple keys yet. I thought no one knew we were back..." She looked up, somewhat accusingly at Usagi. Usagi smiled warmly, "I could sense you..." Healer looked up at her in surprise. "Three." She added quickly. That's what she had been planning on saying and yet when those wide green eyes had been turned on her she had frozen. "I could sense you three."  
  
Healer was quiet for a moment, but then she nodded. Holding out a hand, Usagi took it and they pulled each other up off the floor. It took Healer a moment to find her robe, and the entire time Usagi's eyes never left her. She fought with all her might, but she just couldn't turn away.  
  
When the robe was securely fastened around Healer's body Usagi snapped back into reality, "Why are you..."  
  
"A girl?" Healer finished  
  
"Yeah" Usagi affirmed with a curious grin.  
  
"Well when we decided to leave Kinmokusei and return to Japan, most of our powers were taken from us. You see if we had stayed on Kinmokusei, we would have married men and produced children. Those children would have received our powers. When we left, our Princess took those powers that would have been transferred and stored them in the palace so that they could be bestowed upon another to continue the Starlight legacy..." Healer explained lying down on the couch.  
  
"So then, without your powers you aren't able to take on your male form." Usagi guessed, piecing the information together.  
  
Healer snapped her fingers, "Bingo."  
  
There was a quiet silence until healer spoke up, "I guess you're here for Fighter, er...I mean Seiya."  
  
Usagi sighed quietly, "I guess so..."  
  
ACK! That's not what she had meant to say! What was going on?  
  
"What do you mean, 'You guess so?'" Yaten asked.  
  
"Nothing..." Usagi mumbled quietly  
  
Yaten rolled her eyes and made a face at Usagi, "You are such a ditz sometimes, Odango." She teased. Usagi switched to defensive mode and glared at Yaten. "You are soooo mean to me!" She whined. Yaten nodded in confession and an idea popped into Usagi's head.  
  
Opening her purse she pulled out a bulging goodie-bag decorated in stars and crescent moons. Untying it revealed dozens of cookies and pastries she had picked up on her way over. If anybody loved food as much as Usagi it was Yaten, though, Yaten tended to be more mannerly and polite when she ate. Usagi herself had been put through etiquette class in preparation for Crystal Tokyo and had lost her ravenous eating habits. Food was probably Yaten's only weakness and Usagi relished in the longing that appeared on the other woman's face at the sight of the desserts.  
  
"I guess I'll just eat these all by myself..." Usagi said, innocently and bit into an eclair. "Mmm.....tastes good." She teased.  
  
"I'm sorry!" Yaten apologized in exasperation.  
  
Usagi didn't give in that easily. She slapped at Yaten's hand as the girl reached for a cookie and shook her head stubbornly. "I don't think you mean it," She admonished while Yaten nursed her hand.  
  
Yaten flopped back on the couch and pouted, sticking out her lower lip. Usagi knew what was coming next from personal use, and shielded her eyes and recovered the bag.  
  
"Usaaaaaaaaagi..." The woman begged.  
  
"I'm not looking!" Usagi insisted firmly. Despite her resolution not to look her fingers split and she peeked through the crack. The oxygen was sucked out of her body and her heart contracted. She found it hard to breathe and her face flushed with heat.  
  
Yaten was still pouting but now she had adopted the world renowned puppy- dog eyes. Her emerald orbs were wide and mournful and shone with fake tears; not to mention that perfectly kissable pout...  
  
Kissable?  
  
Usagi's heart thudded against her chest and her jaw dropped open with shock at the wild twist her thoughts had taken.  
  
Cautiously, Yaten crawled along the couch, but Usagi's eyes were no longer on her. Instead, they were wide and unfocused as they stared off into space. Her hands were frozen near her mouth where she had started to drop them. Yaten inched forward and slowly pulled back the cloth folded on top of the snacks. Extracting a cream-filled donut she retreated back along the couch.  
  
Usagi snapped back into reality and blinked in confusion at Yaten as the woman bit into the donut and smirked evilly at her. Usagi slid back into her automatic cheery demeanor, but the hesitation in the change baffled Yaten. Usagi laughed at Yaten as a second bite of donut left a white, vanilla, cream residue along the rim of her upper lip.  
  
Usagi crawled up to the shorter woman with a grin and Yaten unconsciously backed up against the arm of the couch until she had nowhere left to go. Usagi stopped crawling and kneeled between Yaten's legs, leaning forward. Yaten could feel Usagi's warm breath against her face and she turned pink when Usagi placed a hand on her leg to keep from falling over. Usagi blinked slowly, her long lashes brushing her creamy skin and the light in her cerulean eyes changed to something else.  
  
She wanted to kiss her, Usagi realized, and she wanted it bad. Her blood boiled and thundered in her ears and Yaten's shallow breathing against her face made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Her eyes locked with green ones and as she leaned forward she watched them close and the chin beneath them tilt upwards.  
  
A door slammed in the hallway and Usagi's head snapped back up. Her breathing was low and uneven and her head pounded with longing. Yaten opened her eyes slowly and leaned back against the arm of the chair. Her face was clear and calm, but her eyes shouted her disappointment as well.  
  
Usagi reached up her hand and wiped off the cream, giving Yaten a lopsided smile. Yaten wasn't going to let her go without getting anything, and she grabbed her wrist. She brought the pale and quaking hand to her mouth and closed her lips around Usagi's cream covered finger. She let go of Usagi's hand and the girl drew it back slowly. She made no move to wipe off her hand nor did her face show anything but amusement. In fact, she grinned and looked up at Yaten through her lashes.  
  
Usagi had always thought of herself as straight, but now the possibility of being lesbian didn't bother her. She thought back to what Yaten had told her earlier, and it finally registered in her brain that Seiya was probably stuck in her female form as well. That's why he, er, she hadn't come to see her. She guessed that Seiya hadn't known what her reaction would be, so therefore, had avoided it. But none of this mattered as she looked up at Yaten and Yaten smiled down at her. Her heart melted, and any love that she might have had for Seiya disappeared...just like in the fairy tales.  
  
"Are you in love?" Yaten asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Yaten's shoulders sagged slightly and she sighed sadly, "With Seiya?"  
  
"With you."  
  
Yaten's eyes widened in disbelief, "But!"  
  
"Seiya be damned!" Usagi declared angrily. She had finally realized her love for the woman in front of her, and she wouldn't be denied. She wanted Yaten now...now more than anything and she wouldn't let the woman slip away.  
  
Her eyes softened and she stroked Yaten's trembling cheek. Ducking her head, she pressed her lips against hers and their eyes locked. Rather than closing her eyes as she was apt to do when kissing, Usagi left them open as Yaten's own eyes challenged the love she saw in Usagi's.  
  
Finally giving in, Yaten's eyes closed and she welcomed Usagi's sweet kisses along her lips and jaw. Usagi pulled away and they both opened her eyes. Usagi's silver hair tumbled over her shoulders, and like a curtain hid them from the outside world.  
  
"You taste like vanilla" Usagi whispered in Yaten's ear. The woman shivered beneath her and Usagi smiled.  
  
"Stay with me?" Yaten pleaded.  
  
Usagi nodded, "Forever, my love."  
  
&%&%&%&%&%&%  
  
Taiki looked up from making breakfast as Yaten's door opened and closed with the sound of giggling. Even though, Taiki couldn't see the hallway from where she was, she figured Yaten had a girlfriend over. Taiki rolled her eyes as the sound of water running through the pipes and the sound of the shower was mixed with giggling.  
  
Seiya walked through the hallway and into the main living area aiming a scowl at the bathroom door. Taiki gave her a questioning look as she plopped down at the kitchen table. "Hey!" Seiya exclaimed defensively, "Your room isn't next to hers! Her and her "girlfriend" kept me up all night!" Taiki laughed and turned off the stove.  
  
Like Yaten, both Seiya and Taiki were immensely confidant in their female bodies and frequently wore their underwear around the house. Taiki the more modest of the three wore a T-shirt and purple underwear, whereas Seiya, the sportiest of the three, wore her favorite silky red bra, and black sport shorts rolled up around her waist.  
  
Just then Yaten herself, the wild and crazy one of the group (and by far, the least modest), came out of the bathroom and into the kitchen wearing only a lacy white bra and matching panties. Her hair was up in a towel as it usually was when she got out of the shower, and she was grinning like a banshee.  
  
"Man you were loud last night." Seiya complained. Yaten stuck her tongue out at her and sat down with a piece of bacon.  
  
"I want to see this girl..." Taiki admitted from the kitchen. Yaten laughed, but didn't say a word.  
  
The bathroom door closed and both Seiya and Taiki looked up as Yaten's girlfriend walked into the living room. Taiki dropped the pan of eggs and the gooey yellow breakfast food splattered against the tiled floor. Seiya was having a seizure in her chair, with her indigo eyes the size of tennis balls.  
  
Usagi walked over to the couch in her black, lacey bra and underwear. Her silver hair, being saturated with water, had turned to a dark gray color and clung wetly to her chest and back. She retrieved her shorts from between the cushions of the couch and pulled them on. Letting out a sigh, she grabbed her purse and kissed Yaten goodbye. "I have to go meet the girls."  
  
Yaten nodded.  
  
"I can't find my shirt," She said innocently, "It doesn't matter. It's probably ripped anyway."  
  
Seiya and Taiki's jaws dropped.  
  
She grinned and opened the apartment door. "It was nice seeing you two," she called out, "Call me, Yaten! Ja ne."  
  
"Ja ne, bijin." Yaten replied.  
  
(A/N: 'Bijin' means 'beautiful woman', or 'babe'.)  
  
Yaten looked at her "sisters" and their shocked expressions, and laughed.  
  
"Kami! I love that girl..."  
  
%&%&%&%&%&%  
  
R & R!  
  
I didn't intend for this to be as long as it turned out, but it just kept coming out of my head. I for one think Usagi and Yaten would be cute together, though I'm not totally ruling out Seiya or Haruka. DOWN WITH MAMORU!!!  
  
I love you all. Review a person you want to be paired up with Usagi, and I'll see what I can do for you. No Mamoru, though. Yuck.  
  
Kitty Malfoy (^ ^) 


	3. Usagi and KunziteJadeite

Title: The Taste of Peppermints  
  
Author: Kitty Malfoy  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: Set in the Silver Millennium, Jadeite and Malachite both make a cameo. Requested by: (name). Thanks, (name)! Let's go!  
  
Disclaimer: All Sailormoon paraphernalia belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. The plot, though, was dutifully thought of and recorded by my faithful plot bunnies: Fufu, Tofu, Mushu, Kovu, Washu, Princess, Rags, and Patches. (Rags and Patches are twins)  
  
A/N: If you have any suggestions for Usagi pairings email me @ thetasteofstrawberries@hotmail.com or include it in your review.  
  
*********  
  
Princess Usagi leaned against the wall of the formal ballroom surrounded by her Royal Protectors. Her fellow Senshi were the most stunning of all the guests in their formal princess gowns. Even Haruka had been cajoled into her gown for the annual Christmas Masquerade. The group of teenagers were currently surveying the Earth delegates that had recently arrived on the Moon. The Queen had invited the Prince and his four generals to partake and delight in the Masquerade.  
  
"Which one's the Prince?" Neptune asked, sipping at her wine, "He's the one you're betrothed too, right?"  
  
Usagi nodded, "Mm hmm. I hope it's the tall one." She sighed wistfully, and jerked her head in the direction of the one with long platinum white hair.  
  
"You haven't even met him yet?" Mercury asked quietly.  
  
Usagi shook her head. She craned her neck around a group of dancers that blocked her view of the delegates. When she regained visual contact one of the delegates was cutting through the dance floor in their direction. It was the one she had spied out earlier.  
  
As he approached the Senshi and Usagi, Uranus and Jupiter slid from their places against the wall and slid discretely in front of Usagi blocking her from view. The delegate wasn't prepared for such a hidden hostility, but he masked his surprise behind a calm façade. He heard the Princess groan behind her two most protective Senshi and push them aside.  
  
She had just bit into a piece of gum, he noticed, as the scent of it wafted towards him. He bowed forward politely, and she in turn curtsied low.  
  
"Welcome, Sir, to the Moon. I hope you are enjoying yourself?" She inquired rising from the floor.  
  
"Aye, Lady. I am General Kunzite, the First General under Prince Endymion's rule. You are Princess Serenity, correct?"  
  
Usagi's face flickered with disappointment, "Yes, I am. But call my Usagi."  
  
He nodded his assent to her request.  
  
"So you are not Prince Endymion, my betrothed?"  
  
Disappointment filled his face as well and he shook his head, "No, I am not. That is he." Kunzite turned slightly and pointed to a man with ebony hair conversing with the Queen.  
  
He wasn't extremely good-looking in Usagi's opinion, though others had described him as such. The soot black hair was constantly in his face giving him a boyish appearance that belied his age. His ocean-blue eyes were hardly anything remarkable from where she stood. She tilted her head slightly, as she had a habit of doing when she was studying something or someone. The lack of anything else noteworthy made her sigh wistfully.  
  
She turned back to the man standing beside her. He had been staring at her. Her eyes widened unexpectedly and a faint pink color tinged her pale cheeks. In comparison to Endymion, Kunzite was magnificent. He was at least 5 years her senior with long straight hair the color of frost and eyes as clear and blue as raindrops. His face was long and angular with chiseled features and pale skin. His voice was low and clear with slow and patient tones that intertwined with the melody of the waltz. When he spoke, Usagi felt her feet leave the ground and she danced upon the air.  
  
"I see," She mused quietly, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. Lowering her gaze, she turned back to Kunzite and smiled. Standing up on her tiptoes, she leaned close to his ear and whispered to him.  
  
"You're much cuter..."  
  
Kunzite smirked at the younger woman as she lowered herself back to the ground. "I know." He replied coyly.  
  
Usagi looked back over her shoulder and laughed. Her inner Senshi were giggling insanely, with Venus frantically making dancing motions with her fingers. Neptune was smiling sweetly in a smaller version of Saturn's huge grin. Usagi laughed and looked over at her remaining friends. Pluto was wielding her Garnet Orb in a threatening manner and Uranus was cracking her knuckles. Seeing the murderous glare Uranus was shooting at Kunzite, Usagi gulped.  
  
Grabbing the man's hand she pulled him into a throng of masqueraded dancers with angered shouts rising behind them. The older man stumbled around behind her finding it hard to follow her serpentine-ing path through the dance floor. Hard though it was to follow, he had no other choice with her fingers intertwined with his.  
  
The crushing bodies thinned and when they broke free Kunzite found himself in front of one of the four wing's balconies. Usagi's breathing was ragged and flustered though her face was tinted red and shining with excitement. She tried to regain her breath, but was contradicting her efforts by randomly bursting into musical laughter.  
  
"Uranus-san was gonna kill you!" She exclaimed with a laugh. Kunzite would have been unsure as to whether or not she was joking but the angry face of the Wind Senshi as they had made their get-away was enough for him to realize that Usagi was still laughing from their flight through the ballroom and not in jest.  
  
Still immersed in peals of song-like laughter Usagi made her way out the great French doors and onto the balcony. Kunzite watched her for a moment in longing. His pale blue eyes swirled to emerald green and then back again, before he followed her down into the gardens.  
  
Roses, the color of moonbeams, crept up the walls of the palace and intertwined with the ivy along the garden gates. Even the Sakura blossom trees were covered in twisting roses along their trunks. A small pool was set near the center of the rose garden. It was laid beneath the largest Sakura and surrounded by a mass of thorn-less rose bushes. Usagi sat down atop the pool's stone rim and billowed her skirts around her. The sound of splashing water joined with the orchestral music pouring from the open balcony, as Usagi dipped her feet in the crystal clear waters.  
  
Kunzite sat down beside her, one leg tucked beneath him. Looking down into the waters of the pool he found the waters so pure and clear that he could see the very bottom and all the fish that swam within it.  
  
He turned away from the pool as a cool hand touched his cheek. He turned to see Usagi had moved closer along the stone. Her hand upon his cheek caressed and soothed the aching inside him. She leaned forward as if to kiss him, but Kunzite placed a finger on her cherry lips. Her hand dropped to her side. "You are betrothed. And to my Lord, no less," he whispered.  
  
"Not by my consent, nor by my desire." She replied honestly.  
  
Large, innocent eyes looked up at him urging him to listen and believe; to do what it was she wished of him. Her next words were the ones that broke him even as they were spoken.  
  
"Can't we just pretend?" Her hand reached up again to brush frosty strands away from his forehead. He closed his eyes and surrendered to her touch like a dove's feathery caress of wings against his skin.  
  
"Pretend that I am the man I'm not? That I am your betrothed - my Prince? Or pretend that we are in a different time, so that our wills and desires are our own and not that of politics or our families. Pretend that we are free to pursue the ones we love, free of guilt, shame, or treason?" He questioned, in his deep voice.  
  
Passion filled in Usagi's breast and fueled her voice in protest against him, "Oh not the first my lord, for I do not wish to be betrothed to Endymion in any scenario. It would be the second that I desire, so that I may make you mine in both mind and body. That is my choice and my want. Would you deny the Princess her request?"  
  
"Not for the Princess would I grant her wish, but for you and the feelings I do feel towards you."  
  
"Then kiss me now."  
  
Their lips touched and Usagi felt consumed by fire as their passions rose. His hand caressed the side of her face before burying itself in her golden hair. The other was wrapped possessively around her waist and crushed her body against his. Usagi's arms behind his neck pulled his face closer to hers in a bruising kiss.  
  
The air was sucked out of her so fast she found it hard to breathe, but Usagi reluctant to end the kiss. His tongue pressing roughly against her lips forced them open and the taste of him filled her mouth. Kunzite pulled away, but Usagi clung to him and kissed him again and again until her mouth was sore and bruised.  
  
Kunzite held her at arm length and gave her time to recover her senses.  
  
"Close your eyes..." he whispered.  
  
Usagi did what she was told and her eyelids fell down over her crystalline eyes.  
  
"I love you." Kunzite said in a quiet breath.  
  
"I l-" Kunzite cut off her response with a short, but sweet kiss, in order to stop her from saying something that they might regret in the future.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Kunzite?" Usagi's voice was as quiet as a mouse, but it echoed in the empty expanse of the gardens. Her eyes fluttered open to find herself alone in the solitude and serene company of the roses. She turned around again and again searching for him, but he was gone.  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
Kunzite chuckled from his hiding spot in the curtains of the balcony, and watched as he himself slide from the shadows of a Sakura tree and dashed up the balcony stairs. "Did you have fun, Jadeite?"  
  
The second Kunzite turned and grinned at the first. His silvery hair turned to a dark golden color and shortened to curls just beneath his ears. A cocky smirk was given just beneath fiery emerald eyes, and he no longer wore a First General uniform.  
  
"Honestly, Jadeite. What do you get out of stealing my body?'  
  
"A kiss and some peppermint gum..." He popped a bubble and headed back into the ballroom.  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
R & R!  
  
Kitty Malfoy 


	4. Usagi and Galaxia

Title: The Taste of Purgatory  
  
Author: Kitty Malfoy  
  
Rating: Pg-13  
  
Summary: Set after um...the big huge battle with Galaxia. It takes place sort of IN the Galaxy Cauldron, where everyone's starseeds are. It is a Galaxia/Usagi fic including what I believe it's like where your starseeds go; in the Galaxy Cauldron.  
  
Disclaimer: All Sailormoon paraphernalia belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. The plot, though, was dutifully thought of and recorded by my faithful plot bunnies: Fufu, Tofu, Mushu, Kovu, Washu, Princess, Rags, and Patches. (Rags and Patches are twins)  
  
A/N: If you have any suggestions for Usagi pairings email me @ thetasteofstrawberries@hotmail.com or include it in your review.  
  
*********  
  
A small sparkle. A tiny glitter. Another one here...there. The milky whiteness that extended forever was filled with tiny crystals, no bigger than a thumb. Lights of all colors rose inside them pulsing and throbbing to blinding heights. Within the centers of the millions of tiny jewels small bodies began to materialize, drawing in the power from the corona of light and energy around them. Men, women, and children of all shapes, sizes, races, and descents formed into beings of immense purity, light and angelicism. Downy, white feathers layered atop each other forming great wide wings large enough to wrap around and protect their separate charges.  
  
Great sapphires glowed and softened, melting into wide, child-like eyes that blinked in wonder at the beauty and innocence of their whereabouts. Threads of the softest gold, and no larger than the gossamer weavings of a spider's web, were pulled from the white light surrounding the crystal from which her body was pulled. They twisted and wove about her head in blinding and wild patterns as if the hand of the Goddess herself were creating this being for the first time. A knot of hair was bound upon each side of the creature's head and streamed far out behind her, disappearing like ribbons into the foggy mists.  
  
"Usagi."  
  
The word was pulled and lengthened into an eerie, reedy whisper that echoed long after the voice behind it had died. The sound of it was hollow and at the same time, that of ringing bells. It was sound that lacked the harshness of reality and was not held down by any force - left simply to roam free throughout this dimensional plane.  
  
Usagi. The being paused a moment. Her ethereal wings swayed back and forth loosing pearled feathers upon her naked body. Was that her name? She knew of many names...the names of all creatures that had been born within the Cauldron. The names of the ones yet to be created.......they all resided deep within her manifested body. She couldn't discern which name was hers, among the callings of the others. Nothing was certain in the Void. People didn't exist there, their starseeds did. They became one, with no feeling, no conscience, no sense of singularity. All those who resided within it lost themselves...their memories, their past, even their future was washed away in a sea of warm and unending light and safety.  
  
"Usagi."  
  
The voice called again...it called to her. She hovered, hesitantly, above her glittering starseed, where she had materialized, and peered futilely out into the mists. Her wings lifted and extended to their full span. She leapt from her perch atop her crystal and soared high above the plane. Countless numbers of beings and "glitters" passed beneath her, but none held the voice that beckoned her.  
  
The tiny star that she had left behind appeared upon her breast in a spiral of glittery moondust. She swooped and dove with impossible ease and fluidity, never once needing to exert her energy upon it.  
  
"Usagi."  
  
The voice was now behind her. She pivoted and winged left on the turn of a dime. Her wings folded against her back and she rocketed downwards. The mist curled and spiraled away from her as she streamlined downwards towards the origins of the voice that had lured her from her resting-place.  
  
A woman glided out from a shroud of fog, making the being backwing suddenly to avoid crashing into her. The being, the voice had called Usagi, stared in interest at the beautiful woman before her.  
  
Her hair was that akin to flames - burning to a fiery crimson from golden embers. The flames of her hair reached her feet in flickering waves that only fueled the heavenly illusion of flames rippling down her back. Small, oval rubies melted into glittering burgundy orbs that shone with a power that rivaled even the being named Usagi.  
  
When the woman spoke it indeed confirmed to "Usagi" that this was she would had beckoned her here. "Usagi..." The woman pulled Usagi down to the "ground" of the Cauldron, if that's what you could call it for it all blended together in an all encompassing fog.  
  
Usagi's starseed began to glow and then it disappeared into her body. A small orb of light passed from her chest to her feet and reappeared beneath her as her glittering star. The crystal sunk down to the "floor", bringing Usagi with it like an anchor.  
  
The woman was smiling at her as if they had known one another in another time. Usagi's brow furrowed and she tilted her head slightly to the side as she studied the woman. Her mind was strangely empty save for the same fog that floated around her. She blinked blankly as the woman reached out to hug her. Her arms were loose at her sides and the strange woman pulled away in confusion.  
  
Usagi had no recognition of the soul, or the being, floating in front of her. Nothing was familiar her, not even her own voice had a memory within her as she spoke, "You called me Usagi..." She paused thoughtfully. "Is that my name?"  
  
"Don't you remember?" The woman asked or her. The rubied eyes faltered. "Not even me?"  
  
"There is nothing in the Void." Usagi said simply in a deadpan voice. "No memories...........did you have a name?"  
  
"Galaxia. I was called Galaxia." Usagi showed no recognition at the name. The woman, now revealed to Usagi as "Galaxia" blinked rapidly and turned from her.  
  
"Do you have something in your eye?" Usagi asked, innocently. She floated over to Galaxia and turned her face towards her. She lifted a pale white hand to the tanned face and stroked it. Usagi's actions were alien to herself even as they were executed with age-old experience. The seemed to help because Galaxia turned her face towards Usagi's ministrations.  
  
A small noise confused Usagi and she pulled her hand away, afraid that she had done something wrong. She looked up with curious sapphire eyes as a strange moisture made rivers down tan cheeks. She looked down at her own hand and found it wet as well. She lifted it upwards and stared at it with curious confusion. Her strawberry pink lips pursed as she tried to "remember"...it seemed so familiar.  
  
She turned her palm to Galaxia and asked in earnest, "What are these..."  
  
"Tears." She whispered.  
  
"Tears?" She repeated the foreign word slowly in a halting voice. She looked up at Galaxia hesitantly and the woman nodded.  
  
"I know 'tears'..." She said quietly, her voice still stumbling over the new word. The small crystal beneath her that held her in place began to pulsate with milky light. Her entire body began to thrum like the string of a harp and her entire concentration was bent on her cupped palm.  
  
The light within her star seed exploded in a swirling nebula of glittering light and the tears on her hand flashed crimson. Usagi gasped and stumbled backwards. Galaxia called her name, but Usagi was deaf to the dimension around her. All she could hear were the screams.  
  
At the airport........that man...he never made it to the plane...  
  
Mamoru.  
  
I remember now...  
  
At the airport...right in front of my eyes...  
  
Mamoru...I didn't want it to be true...  
  
On the rooftop of a building...was it a school? She saw herself standing there, but she was dressed so strangely....and there were two girls. They were dressed liked her, but wrapped in the powers of Jupiter and Mercury. She watched as cut images flashed through her head. A woman used them as a shield against Usagi's own attack, and their bodies crumbled and were destroyed.  
  
Makoto.  
  
Ami.  
  
Their bodies are dead...  
  
...And their Sailor Crystals, their origins of power, were taken.  
  
Twin crows,...but women too. One of their own...and they died...  
  
Phobos.  
  
Deimos.  
  
The stars of Mars and Venus. Usagi saw her save them from the same woman who had obliterated Phobos and Deimos. A woman in golden armor stepped out of a swirling vortex behind them and stole their Crystals.........they never saw it coming....  
  
Rei.  
  
Minako.  
  
A mysterious far away, is releasing powerful energy...  
  
This past is being disturbed...  
  
...This may change the past...  
  
The flesh may be dead.but Sailor Senshi exist within the Sailor Crystals.  
  
The power of the Sailor Crystals will never die!  
  
A swing-set......in the park....a woman appeared. Usagi heard her own cry for help from other Senshi...Uranus, Neptune, Pluto......dead in a instant. Their starseeds held by the mysterious woman.  
  
Haruka.  
  
Michiru.  
  
Setsuna.  
  
This must be an illusion!! The three must be okay!!  
  
A small child with raven hair...turned to dust with a wave of the mysterious woman's hand.  
  
Hotaru.  
  
Cats...Usagi never remembered having cats. A different woman...one with lavender hair spoke... "If you have a pet and it dies, that makes you sad. Isn't it better to be alone?" ..........their feline bodies splattered against the ground and disappeared.  
  
Luna.  
  
Artemis.  
  
Diana.  
  
Alone? No...being alone is sad. That is why I have made so many friends  
  
Me with a lover? Did I have one...who gave me this ring?  
  
She turned to the woman, "How is it so easy for you...to kill? Everybody...was born to be alive."  
  
"And all with life...were born to die."  
  
Names...Lethe.Mnemosyne...two pure souls wanting an end to the fighting...wanting to be at peace...killed from behind by their own...their screams echoed through the twin desert rivers...  
  
Lethe.  
  
Mnemosyne.  
  
Misguided enemies...too late to save.  
  
Sailors guided by the stars...unconscious...too late to save. Usagi heard herself scream in the flashing scenes of memories. Their star crystals were snatched...as prizes...  
  
Seiya.  
  
Yaten.  
  
Taiki.  
  
Red hair...red eyes...with the scent of lilacs. Stabbed...  
  
Kakyuu.  
  
A single tear rolled down Usagi's ethereal face. She screamed into the fog as painful images demanded to be seen. Shadowed and dark...with angry crimson eyes filled with pain and chaos...  
  
"Chaos." She whispered.  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
  
  
Another memory...  
  
  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
  
  
"Do you really think. Your friends will return. And revive their bodies?" The tone was mocking behind the face of Galaxia.  
  
"Because. We always fought together...fought for the future..." Usagi whispered.  
  
"Are you sure...that the future you know is the real future? Do you really think that the future you know will come to pass?"  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
  
  
Usagi screamed again, and her wings wrapped around her trembling and writhing body.  
  
  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
  
  
"What happened? Is this the end?"  
  
"This planet. Is going to be destroyed." The darkness and insanity of the being Chaos overtook the golden laughter of Galaxia. Inhuman cackling laughter filled Usagi with dread.  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
  
  
"I power I have...I am the one chosen by God."  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
Usagi looked up at Galaxia floating in front of her and saw the same crimson eyes that were so angry and evil in her mind. She cowered in fear and fell to her knees. She clasped her throbbing head in her hands.  
  
"What are you doing to me?!" Her bell-like voice echoed in high tones in the realm of dimensional nothingness. Galaxia knelt beside her and pulled the sobbing girl into her arms.  
  
"Tears..." Usagi whispered, brushing long, slender fingers across her wet cheeks. Galaxia nodded into Usagi's hair, and cradled the woman's head in her own. She mirrored Usagi's previous action, and the rhythmic motions of her fingers soothed Usagi and calmed her.  
  
"What us happening to me?" Usagi whispered. "There is nothing in the Void...only crystals rest here..."  
  
"Remember." Galaxia breathed, brushing the bangs from Usagi's eyes.  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
"Sailor Moon..." Yaten started.  
  
.::But the crystal is a part of me...just as I am part of the crystal. That is why I must do whatever it takes to save my friends...:. Usagi thought to herself.  
  
"...Seiya, Yaten, Taiki. We don't have value only in our crystals. Our bodies are also ourselves. We are us as a whole. When we hold hands, talk, and look at each other...we know then that our powers increase and that we are Sailor Scouts."  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
Fingers tightened around Galaxia's shoulders. She looked down at the creature in her arms and smiled. This small being had saved the world countless times and died just as many. This was the one who had drove Chaos from her and destroyed it; sending it back into the hearts of everyone.  
  
This was the one she must protect...the one that everyone was destined to protect. This was the one who selflessly sacrificed everything for others, and who wouldn't stop until happiness was found. This was the one who stood up against the world's greatest evil and overcame it. This was the woman who represented everything that was pure and right in the universe.  
  
This...  
  
Was...  
  
She...  
  
"Galaxia-sama...where are the others?" She asked in suddenly with a fear-laced voice. Galaxia chuckled, and Usagi was unsure whether to be relieved or baffled. "They have already become reincarnate by your love and the power of the Sailor Crystals. I was to be reborn on Earth as well, but the Cauldron Guardian requested that I remain in the Cauldron's Void and find you."  
  
"Arigatou, Galaxia-sama." Galaxia helped Usagi to her feet, but held tight to Usagi's hand. "Galaxia?"  
  
Usagi's feet were already beginning to disappear into her star seed, and Galaxia looked down at her own non-existent legs. "Usagi...I needed you to know something..."  
  
Usagi blinked and tilted her head slightly.  
  
"When we are reborn on Earth our memories will be completely erased. You won't remember anything about your life as Sailor Moon, and consequently, you won't know any of the scouts either..."  
  
Usagi's face fell and silent tears slipped from her eyes and rolled down her porcelain cheeks.  
  
"...until our Sailor Crystals decide to reveal them to us." Galaxia finished making Usagi's face brighten.  
  
"And how long will that be?"  
  
"I don't know. The Guardian said it'd be different for all of us..." Galaxia's throat clenched, "Some never will remember..."  
  
Usagi fell back into sadness and Galaxia's heart wrenched along with hers. "I'm so sorry, my little star..." Galaxia whispered, not intending for Usagi to hear her. Unfortunately, the Powers-that-be had other plans. Her voice raised in volume and was magnified in the solitude of the mists, echoing around them.  
  
Already, their bodies up to their chests had been sucked into their glowing crystals that glittered and sparkled as the raw energy filled their small forms. Now, they were fading at an alarming rate and Galaxia acted before it was too late. Her coral colored lips met Usagi's cherry pink ones in a kiss that froze the stare. In that single moment of truth and time their souls were bonded together and melded for all eternity and cosmos to witness.  
  
Such a pair of star-crossed lovers the galaxy had never seen, so perfectly were they formed by the Goddess as if sculpted from the same mold and only now found and realized. The previous Timeline and all its flaw was obliterated and shattered into a million pieces and scattered throughout the heavens, never to be reformed again.  
  
And then it ended as their bodies finally disappeared in a spray of white and golden light. Their Sailor Crystals levitated and whisked away in opposite directions; hurtling through the fog to their new and separate lives on Earth.  
  
The voice of a ghost, was eerie and compelling, yet at the same time said as it echoed through the fogged mists of the Cauldron.  
  
"Goodbye...my little star..."  
  
  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
R & R!  
  
Omg! That was like sooo fun to write! I might just continue it into another fic. Wouldn't that be fun?! Tell me if you think that's a good idea.  
  
Well as far I know this is just about um...the 2nd Usagi/Galaxia fic out there! I think they're a good couple...but not so much as Usagi & Yaten, or Haruka! Love ya all! 


	5. Usagi and Saffiru

Title: The Taste of Quartzite & Sapphire  
  
Author: Kitty Malfoy  
  
Rating: Pg-13  
  
Summary: Set during the Black Moon story-arc, but in a sort of twisted alternate reality.  
  
Disclaimer: All Sailormoon paraphernalia belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. The plot, though, was dutifully thought of and recorded by my faithful plot bunnies: Fufu, Tofu, Mushu, Kovu, Washu, Princess, Rags, and Patches. (Rags and Patches are twins)  
  
A/N: If you have any suggestions for Usagi pairings email me @ thetasteofstrawberries@hotmail.com or include it in your review.  
  
This is Usagi/Saffiru, btw!  
  
^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
"Rubius and Emerald have failed. I want those Sailors destroyed, and I want SERENITY!"  
  
White hair and angry silver eyes.  
  
"Yes my Lord. I understand. It will be as you command."  
  
A woman kneeled in the shadows beneath the Prince's throne. Translucent hair, covered in varying shades of glitter fell to the woman's feet in a mass of wild curls that coiled and twisted about her like deadly serpents. The features of her face were cloaked in darkness, but her eerie, bleached-pink eyes emitted a soft glow in the twilight of the throne room.  
  
Her manner of dress was indiscernible amongst the layers and pools of satiny white cloth that billowed about her kneeling form like liquid moonbeams. She nodded her head in obedience and submission to her Lord's will.  
  
"Don't fail me...I can't lose you. You are too important for the future I shall bring to pass with Serenity as my Queen."  
  
The woman rose in a single fluid moment to her feet, and bowed once again, her body moving into the single stream of light filtering through a crack in the wall. A collar of tiny crystals wrapped around her neck and affixed to the straight neckline of her dress just above her breasts. The waist of the dress tightened along her stomach in such a way that it was painful to look at. The empire waistline flowed out in several folds of silk that were virtually impossible to separate.  
  
She turned on her heel and glided gracefully to the chamber exit. A floor-length overjacket of white mesh and rainbow sparkles fanned out behind her as her path led her around the corner and back into the shadows.  
  
^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
"Silly Sailors..."  
  
The soda can dropped from Minako's hand and clattered to the concrete slabs of the sidewalk. Her bright blue eyes were immediately alert and menacing as she searched for the source of the voice.  
  
"Scurrying around...like little mice..."  
  
Rei and Makoto turned back to back and held their tennis rackets in a knuckle-whitening grip. All five sailors had one hand in their pockets; fingers wrapped tightly around their henshin pens.  
  
"Show yourself!" Rei called out.  
  
Icy coldness swept around them as soft as a person's breath. "Today...one of the Crystal points WILL fall..." The voice whispered upon the frigid breeze that had swept around them despite that hot July sun overhead.  
  
"Coward!" Usagi called out, trying her best to hide her own cowardliness betrayed by the shaking of her legs.  
  
"Ssh..." The voice giggled, in a way that implied that not all the lights were on upstairs. Rather than feeling relieved at this presumption, Ami felt even more threatened. A sane person could be reasoned with...  
  
"Such names...nope......won't tell, won't tell..."  
  
Another giggle.  
  
"We're going to play a game..........its called 'Cat and Mouse'. It's my favorite..."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Makoto demanded losing her temper at the enemy that simply refused to reveal themselves.  
  
"That's the question...Which One? Which One? Can YOU decide?"  
  
Then it hit Ami like a ton of bitter bricks. "The Crystal Points! She's talking about the points!"  
  
"There's no way we can guard each one!" Usagi exclaimed in frustration, clenching her tiny fists.  
  
"Smart Mercury mousey!.............which will you save and which one will fall......"  
  
^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
The woman sighed as she stepped from the teleportation mirror and she became visible again. The cold, crystal onyx wall upon which she leaned was soothing and helped ease her troubled mind.  
  
She immediately was aware of another being's thoughts in the room with her. A shadow detached from the wall opposite her resting-place and moved towards her.  
  
"Lord Saffiru." She nodded her dazzling head in acknowledgement, and straightened. She let her gaze fixate on the wall just behind the door of the transport room and walked past the Prince's brother.  
  
A warm hand grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards. Her thin heels stopped their rhythmic clicking and slid dangerously across the tiled floor almost bringing the woman to the floor. She turned angry opalescent eyes on his azure ones, but held her contempt at that, biting her tongue to keep from lashing out at the stupid man.  
  
Saffiru, so aptly named for his appearance, chuckled and blew ocean- colored bangs from same-colored eyes. He made no move to turn her towards him, but rather leaned in. He was so close that his hot breath raised the hairs on the back of her neck and gave her a pleasant sensation.  
  
"You may have fooled the others..." He breathed thickly.  
  
The woman stiffened.  
  
"But your mind games don't work on me, your 'Highness' "  
  
The woman smiled in an albeit sad and pessimistic way, "They never did, my Lord."  
  
^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
"Way to moon dust that monster, Sailor Moon!" Venus complimented, tugging affectionately on the other blonde's pigtails.  
  
"Sailor Mousies!"  
  
The Senshi looked up at the woman's silhouette resting atop the building beside them.  
  
"We're here! Now, Who are you?!" Mars demanded.  
  
The woman leapt off the rooftop in a flurry of glitter, sparkles, and evil laughter. "I am......Quartzite! And I now hold the golden keys to four of Crystal Tokyo's Crystal Points!"  
  
"What?!" Jupiter exclaimed in despair. "But we destroyed all the youma at those points."  
  
Quartzite snorted and tossed her glittering hair over her shoulder, "And what was stopping me from retrieving them after you left?"  
  
"For Sailor Mousies revered all over the cosmos, you aren't too smart........Can't play the game..."  
  
"How dare you! Venus Crescent-"  
  
"Cut it Venus. It's not worth your energy. You'll need all you have for my Lord."  
  
The four Sailor Senshi beneath her looked up in bewilderment and surprise. Then in a rare show of intelligence, for Usagi's current age period, the sailor-suited, soldier of love and justice pulled out her moon wand and stepped forward.  
  
"Moon.......Healing.......ACTIVATION!"  
  
{A/N: Sorry I actually don't remember what healing weapon/attack Usagi had in Season R. Sorry all you super loyal fans out there!}  
  
The white light engulfed Quartzite in a flurry of rainbows and crescent moons. The hopeful smiles of experience rose on the faces of the planetary senshi until Quartzite's annoyed voice sounded.  
  
"Damn it, Moon! You CAN'T heal me!" She shouted, her apparent façade of insanity dropped and her voice rose in the experienced maneuver of one who was used to ordering others about. "I said don't use your powers unless you have to - PAY ATTENTION!"  
  
Whatever Moon had been expecting, a verbal tongue-lashing hadn't been high on the list of possibilities. Her arm dropped to her side and she took an unconscious step backwards as Quartzite's presence grew.  
  
"You never did-" Quartzite's tirade was muffled, but not completely silenced by a strong hand over her mouth belonging to a man that appeared behind her.  
  
This was not what the Senshi had expected either. They stood hooked to the ground and stared dumfounded at their supposed "enemy's" new situation. Saffiru stood behind the woman with one arm wrapped around her waist and pinning her arms against her sides. The other remained across her face, halting her protests and holding her mouth shut against any further outbursts.  
  
"You're compromising the mission, Quartzite!" He hissed at her. She growled and struggled to free herself from his grip.  
  
"What mission?" Mercury asked quietly in a vain hope that the pair would act in the typical enemy fashion and reveal their entire battle plan. But it seemed that neither had heard her.  
  
Saffiru howled in pain and wrenched his hand away from Quartzite's face. The flesh of his palm was pink and embedded with deep bite marks. With inhuman speed and agility, the woman spun out of his grasp and shoved him roughly against the brick wall of the building upon which she had earlier been standing.  
  
"I have captured four of the points!" She shouted at him, her voice rising shrilly. "Stay out of this!"  
  
She whirled around with a desperate look in her eyes. With a yell she thrust her arm into the sky above her. Raw white energy cackled around her hand like static lightening as a single staff materialized in her hand. She didn't even blink as the unseemingly deadly weapon sliced the air in front of her as she twirled it around her body in a complex pattern.  
  
"Lesson number one!" She shouted and leapt at the unprepared Senshi. The blunt edge of her spear cracked over the heads of Venus and Mars at the same time a well-aimed sweep-kick took Mercury's legs out from under her. A double roundhouse sent Jupiter into the side of a brick bank like a limp rag doll. Swinging her spear around her, she caught Moon on the shaft of it and lifted her up into the air only to fling her back down into Mars and Venus as they struggled to get back to their feet; and who then in turn crashed into Mercury.  
  
"Some enemies don't hide behind magic or youma. You have no weapons...use your powers in defense and hone your speed and agility."  
  
The Sailors regrouped together before the woman who was becoming stranger and more mysterious by the minute. The insane and lightness of her voice was gone and what was left behind was cold, harsh, and demanding.  
  
"Lesson number two, are you ready?"  
  
"No...actually." Mars retorted hotly, "What are you-"  
  
"Too bad!" Quartzite snapped, crudely, and beat them down again with her spear. "Your enemy won't wait until it's convenient for YOU before they try and kill you..." A breeze ruffled Quartzite's garments and lifted her opalescent hair up into twisting torrents about her. She clenched the shaft of her spear in her right hand, and her eyes beneath the fringe of her hair were as cold and sharp as the steel blade upon her weapon. "...You'll already be dead."  
  
"Lesson number three." She lifted her spear above her head and twirled it around as she spoke. White beams shot forth from each end of the deadly device and blurred into the curved arms of a nebular cloud of dusty white energy. "The attacks won't always be head on."  
  
The butt of her spear hit the pavement with a crack and the power stored within it peaked, "QUARTZ PRISM-LANCE!" There was a muffled boom and then the sound of a firecracker dying out. The Senshi stood dumbfounded and looked around in confusion. The ground began to quake and tremble and wide ribbons cracked through the street cement.  
  
"Oh Shit!" Venus realized too late, as the pavement beneath them split and surged upwards amidst bright pillars of sizzling energy. The five girls screamed in pain as their bodies were shot out of the column of energy and slammed into the hard street.  
  
Quartzite lifted her spear again, but a hand on her shoulder made her pause and turn. "That's enough, Quartzite." Saffiru ordered. She glared and resumed her attack, "I'm not finished here!"  
  
Saffiru grabbed her arm and began to pull her away. "No! They're not ready!" Angry tears filled her eyes and her voice took on a hysterical lit. "They have to learn!" She pushed off the ground in an attempt to leap free from his strong grasp, but failed. His hand trailed down her face and grasped her chin forcing her to look into his sapphire eyes. "Quartzite. You are. Compromising. The. Mission."  
  
The Senshi pulled themselves from the craters their impacts had forged and forced their battered bodies into a standing position. They staggered forwards and watched the scene play out between the pair of their enemies.  
  
Quartzite clenched her eyes against the crystalline tears that formed at the corners of her frustrated pastel eyes. Her lip quivered, but her voice carried a foreboding edge. "If they don't do something then They. Will. Die....I will die."  
  
Saffiru held her tense body to his chest and ran a hand comfortingly down her back. "The Mission, my Hime. Focus on the mission."  
  
"I can't!" She shouted in frustration.  
  
"Just let it go!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her as if that was the only way that he could think of to jog some sense into her. Her spear fell from her numb grip and disappeared as it clattered to the sidewalk.  
  
"He'll be watching us soon...I can feel it..." He whispered. Quartzite nodded mutely and knelt to pick up a shard of shattered glass. The Senshi immediately moved into battle positions, but were at a loss for words or actions when the woman took the glass and slashed across her arms and legs.  
  
Mercury realized what Quartzite was doing when the woman began to rip her clothes and smear dirt across her body. "She's making it look like we attacked her!"  
  
"I could make it more realistic!" Jupiter threatened and stepped forward with a clenched fist only to sway and almost fall to her knees.  
  
Saffiru moved his hand in a circular motion across the air behind them, and a swirling black vortex appeared. He stepped into it and disappeared. "Don't speak of this until you are far from this place. I trust you can follow those directions, Moon?" Usagi sweatdropped but nodded in understanding. The remaining scouts nodded grimly, but a bit uncertainly.  
  
"Catch!" Quartzite called out and threw an object up into the air before taking a step back into the portal and disappearing closing the portal with her exit.  
  
Moon snatched the object out of the air and juggled it several times before it final settled in her open hands. "That's impossible!"  
  
"What?" Venus asked, deathly curious.  
  
Moon ignored her, but pulled an object from her sub-space pocket. She held the second object in her hands with the first one and was wide- eyed and silent in shock.  
  
The Senshi surrounded her and discovered the source of Moon's astonishment. In her palm rested her Luna Disguise Pen, shining pink and smooth in the July sun. But beside it laid the exact same item. But the second one was slightly faded in color and worn from the passage of time.  
  
It was a clue and they knew it, but a clue for what they had no idea. Mostly, they were still trying to adjust to the fact that their enemy had just taught them a lesson and then become completely unglued at the thought of their deaths; which was totally BIZARRE!  
  
^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
By the time Quartzite had reappeared on the other side of the portal her composure was regained, and she assumed the posture and air of someone who had just escaped from a hard battle. She spared one longing look in Sapphire's direction and then steeled herself for her meeting with Prince Demando.  
  
Just outside of the throne room, her spear re-materialized in her weapon hand and she leaned upon it as the ceiling-to-floor French doors opened and she walked forward.  
  
"My Lord," She greeted him with a nod of her head and kneeled before his dais, "You asked me to report after my skirmish with the Senshi."  
  
"Yes...Quartzite." He paused his drawling tone to look over her appearance. Quartzite willed her body not to appear revolted as his gaze lingered upon her torn clothing longer than politically necessary. "Have you succeeded in capturing the Crystal Point?"  
  
She lowered her head in shameful way and let her silken tresses fall about her shoulders and over her face. "The Black Moon now has in its possession four of the five Crystal Points of Crystal Tokyo. I was forced to retreat during the final skirmish and was unable to gain control of the fifth Point. I have failed you, my Prince."  
  
"Failed?" Demando's tone was a mixed one of surprise and mocking. "You have succeeded far beyond my hopes...and all in a single try. You will be rewarded Quartzite..."  
  
"Thank m'Lord." She nodded her head again and began to stand.  
  
"Quartzite...tell me.......how have you succeeded, in outstanding measures nonetheless, where others have failed?"  
  
Quartzite froze. She swallowed quickly and smiled cockily at the Prince. Without hesitation she replied, "The others were weak and stupid."  
  
Demando smirked slightly before losing his momentary emotion beneath his solemn and pale, emotionless mask. "Your reward will be sent to your rooms within the hour."  
  
Quartzite nodded, and left. Demando snapped his fingers, and Saffiru slid from the shadows and moved to the Prince's side. "Brother, see that she gets her 'reward'."  
  
"Of course, Demando."  
  
^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
"Quartzite..." Saffiru stepped into the woman's room and closed the door behind him. The woman in question stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a red, silk, nighty, and clean of any trace of dirt, blood, or grime.  
  
"It's all right Saffy. My room is protected from all sights, sound, and thoughts."  
  
"Are you feeling better, Serenity?" He asked sitting down upon the edge of her bed cavalierly. Quartzite's translucent hair darkened to the silvery color of moonbeams, and her haunting pale pink eyes flickered to their original, depthless, azure hue.  
  
"Yes, and now I feel truly stupid for endangering MY mission that way. I was sent to the past to make sure that Demando and Wiseman don't seize control of my kingdom, but I totally suck at undercover!" With a pitiful whine the royal, and majestic Queen of the Future flopped down onto her bed and hugged a lacy pillow.  
  
Saffiru chuckled, "You're far from being bad at undercover. You're my brother's favorite."  
  
"All the other ones are dead or turned!" Serenity pointed out, "The Akayashi Sisters, Rubius, Emerald-"  
  
"Still." Saffiru insisted. He moved closer to Serenity and caressed her bare shoulder. "Do you know what doesn't exist in this time?" He asked.  
  
A smile played upon her lips and her hands dug into the bed covers, "My marriage..."  
  
He smiled in agreement and slid the silken strap of her nightgown down her arm. Her hands lifted to the folds of his navy silk shirt and she pulled his body towards her as he pushed hers down against the soft mattress of the bed.  
  
His warm lips caressed her forehead, her jaw, her nose, her temples, everywhere but the one place where she desired it. Her hands slid down the back of his shirt and she delighted in the pleasure she gave him as she massaged the muscles she found there. The tips of his fingers created swirling patterns across her arms and neck that tickled her petal-soft skin. She shivered in delight and nipped at his exposed ear.  
  
This ended in the desired result as his own lips stilled hers and melted her body into a puddle of mush. She took it to the next step, before he could regret his actions, and slid her tongue swiftly into his mouth. Now it was her turn to seize control and she rolled over placing herself on top; straddling his legs.  
  
With quick and nimble fingers the buttons of Saffiru's shirt were undone and the restricting article was flung to the floor. The lights in the room dimmed as Saffiru reached up and Serenity's nightgown fell to her waist.  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
R & R!  
  
How was that? I know the background info was pretty much the whole thing, but I had to set up the scenario.  
  
KissThis 


	6. Usagi and ReiMinako 1

Title: The Taste of Bananas & Cherries Part One

Author: Kitty Malfoy

Rating: Pg-13

Summary: Set during the Stars story-arc. This is going by the manga, when Rei and Minako are on the rooftop to find the Lights.

Disclaimer: All Sailormoon paraphernalia belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. The plot, though, was dutifully thought of and recorded by my faithful plot bunnies: Fufu, Tofu, Mushu, Kovu, Washu, Princess, Rags, and Patches. (Rags and Patches are twins)

A/N: If you have any suggestions for Usagi pairings email me @ thetasteofstrawberries@hotmail.com or include it in your review. 

This is Usagi/Minako & Usagi/Rei, btw! And this first part is mainly Usagi/Rei, the second part will be Usagi/Minako.

^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%

"...I pulled this card today."

The battered and weathered card was thrown from Rei's fingertips and Minako snatched it before the treacherous wind stole it away. A hunched skeletal figure was inked upon it, hunched over with scythe in hand.

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"I feel it. This time it's different. This time we won't..."

"Stop!" Minako exclaimed over Rei's final word: "**..._win_...**" 

Any protest Rei might have raised was silenced by Minako's insistent finger upon her parted lips. Rei fumbled for her friend's hand and found the blonde's hand searching for hers as well. Minako shivered as the cold wind blew across her bare legs and brushed the skirt of _her_ school uniform, that Rei had donned, against the skin her volleyball uniform left bare.

They stood together rock steady against the twisting winds, drawing strength from each other. Through the silence that had uneasily fallen upon them, Minako's husky voice sounded devoid of its natural cheeriness. "We swore we'd rescue them."

Rei's eyes clenched shut against the violent images that swept through her sight brought on Minako's stubbornly sworn words.

"We've stuck together, always, overcoming everything!" Rei's violet shaded eyes snapped open to find that Minako's angry sapphire ones had never closed. "This is no different! We'll overcome this too!'

Her finger slipped from Rei's lips and her hand left Rei's to become clasped before her face. She sighed, and stars shone in her eyes that had been so determinedly angry only a moment before. "We'll return to high school life...and we'll all finally get a boyfriend! Yeah!" She giggled, "Life's all about boys. Gotta have 'em!" 

Rei grinned, despite the somber atmosphere, when Minako winked at her with her hand on hip and continued her tirade that gave the Shinto Priestess a glimpse of Minako's past, carefree self. 

"This time, I'm gonna have a H O T Three Lights look-alike! And have lots of romantic dates! I wanna do the high school girlie thing! Totally!" Rei laughed and Minako laughed with her.

"Yeah, right."

They gasped. Years of battle trained sense and reflex had them whirling around before the person had even finished. Side-by-side they stood, in battle position, with arms up and guarding and legs wide spread giving the duo a sturdy and firm grounding. Both their features hardened and in seconds they were ready to kill if necessary. 

"You already have someone..." The person, revealed to be Yaten, chuckled at the pair and dismissed them as if they posed no more threat than a child. "...you've dedicated your life too."

The three men stared hard at the pair. Rei felt Minako relax without needing to look. When she did turn surprised eyes to her partner she found her to be standing straight, but at ease. Blue orbs shone with an emotion that Rei had only recently become familiar with.

"You've got me..." Minako whispered, "Oops." The wind came back full force gracing her cheeks with rose, and blowing blonde strands in all directions. Rei couldn't remember realizing the wind stopping when the trio had made their entrance. "Yeah. I've given my life...to my one and only..." A vision of an angelic presence was dug from the back of her mind. Blonde hair faded into downy wings of pearl and cream colored skin glowed with an unseen light.

"Mina!" Rei gasped abandoning her own aggressive stance in her shock. Minako's head bent to hide her face, but the wind acted against her and kept her golden curtain of tresses from shielding her emotion-ridden features.

Sugar pink lips turned up in a smile breezed through her mind, and Rei stopped. Eyes as wide, as deep, and as blue as the great ocean appeared above those same lips that made Rei smile in turn. The wind swept around her body twirling autumn leaves, held in the feathery grasp of the wind, into spiraling rings around her. A single, silken strand of ebony hair fell across her finely chiseled face and smirking coral mouth. "Actually, we..." She whispered, "...don't need _any_ men."

She stepped toward Minako and rested her arm on the blonde's shoulder. Her slender index finger rested haughtily between lips that curved upward slightly as Minako leaned her head upon her own. They turned with heads pressed together to face the three men, who hadn't moved since their own arrival. "You have a problem with that?"

Yaten chuckled again, "No."

^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%

"Freeze! You move...and you'll be dust, too!" Lead Crows maniacal laughter had an insane lit to it that made Mars shudder in her grasp. Lead Crow splayed out her fingers and the Sailor Crystals of Phobos and Deimos vanished in a poof of dust.

Tears spilled from Venus' eyes as the emotion spilled forth, "Damn it!" she cried. "Sailor Moon!"

Lead Crow laughed again, her pupils dilating to mere pinpricks. "We'll start with the Mars princess." The arm around the princess in question's neck tightened and Mars couldn't help from crying out. "Heh heh. Or maybe the Venus princess." Venus' fists clenched in a mix of fear and anger, but she glared in defiance at the enemy woman.

"No! We're starting with you! _Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!_"

__

Lead Crow screamed out in frustrated surprise as the beam of white energy collided with her body, blasting her away from Sailor Mars. The light enveloped her and when it finally dissipated she was gone...

"Sailor Moon!!" Mars and Venus exclaimed in joy.

Moon jumped forward and reached for the hands of her friends. As if in slow motion their fingertips grazed each others...and then Moon watched both Mars and Venus crumble through wide and unbelieving sapphire eyes. A woman dressed in golden arm stood behind them. It was she who had launched the back-stabbing attack that had struck down her senshi.

_My Love..._ _Mars whispered_

^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%**(Flashback)**^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%

"Why the long face, Rei-chan?"

Rei looked up through a fringe of ebony. Wide blue eyes blinked innocently only centimeters away from her own. Rei let out a yelp of surprise and fell off backwards from the wall she had been sitting on. When she resurfaced from the bushes into which she had fallen, Usagi couldn't help but laugh at her friend's comical appearance.

Strands of raven hair stuck out at odd and albeit unnatural angles away from their owner's scowling face. Any guilt that Rei had hoped to provoke in Usagi was in vain when the giggling blond caught sight of the bits of twigs and leaves tangled throughout her waist-length mane of hair. A single smudge of dirt streaked from her forehead across her sharp, angular nose that was currently scrunched up in annoyance. 

"Aw, Rei-chan! I'm sorry!" Usagi said leaning over the wall to look down at her. Rei 'huffed' and jutted out her chin. "Don't be mad..." Usagi, in turn, pouted. She continued to pout until Rei's eyes were finally drawn to her puppy-dog expression and prominent lower lip; Rei melted instantly.

"Honestly, Usagi!" She snapped her fiery temper back in full force. "Don't just stand there! Help me up, Odango-Baka!"

Usagi rolled her eyes and grinned. Hoisting herself onto the wall she leaned over and reached out her hand. Rei clasped it firmly with her own. Usagi grunted slightly with exertion, and pulled upwards. 

"Usaaaaaagi!" The priestess shrieked as she was pulled up from the ground at a breakneck speed. Usagi, in a display of Sailor strength, threw her upwards and over the wall. She cringed as their hands were wrenched apart and Rei continued upwards.

Rei's eyes widened and then squeezed fearfully shut as the concrete of the sidewalk rushed up to meet her descending body. Instead of the cold hard ground, she found herself wrapped in a warm embrace. One eye opened revealing Usagi to be her savior. The other opened and she glared at her laughing friend.

"Usagi!" She growled.

"Sorry, Rei-Rei..." She giggled, "I guess I don't know my own strength..."

Rei's angry expression softened at the new nickname, and she found herself wanting to be back in Usagi's arms the instant she put her back down. Decidedly confused, the raven-haired girl shook her head to clear it and returned to glaring at the shorter girl.

"You still look ridiculous!" Usagi exclaimed, practically bet double with chiming laughter.

"That's it!" Rei exclaimed reaching for the blonde.

Usagi, however, dodged easily out of the way and rapped the shocked priestess smartly on the bum as she passed. "Tag you're it!" She pronounced and darted away.

The thrill of competition and something else welled inside Rei, and she was instantly on her feet and sprinting after the dwindling blonde. 

Factoring in Usagi's distaste for anything athletic it was an inevitable conclusion when Rei finally tackled her in front of the Fruit Crown Parlor. Usagi let out a grunt as they fell to the sidewalk and tumbled over each other to lay in a tangled heap at the bottom of the Parlor's glass doors.

"You're..._huff_...it..." Rei panted looking skyward.

"Oh......_huff huff_......kay......." Usagi answered.

Rei snorted and they both dissolved into halting laughter that lasted only as long as they managed to regulate their erratic breathing. 

"Let's go inside and get you cleaned up." Usagi declared, extracting her limbs from Rei's and getting to her feet. Rei laughed and got to her feet as well before pushing the doors open and walking inside.

"Well, after you!" Usagi muttered sarcastically before following the miko in.

In the small and cramped bathroom of the Parlor the two teenagers worked together to restore the raven-haired priestess to her former appearance. Rei looked up from where she had been washing her dirt-covered hands in the sink when Usagi's nimble fingers that had been raking through her hair stopped their ministrations.

Usagi was standing tensely and gazing albeit mournfully into the Arcade. Rei followed her gaze out the partially opened bathroom door to the large booth set in the corner of the room. It was empty save for the small figure seated in the center of the leather curve. She seemed vastly out of place, such a small person in such a large booth. Her blonde mane fell over her shoulders and draped around the tabletop where the girl held in milkshake in both hands.

"It seems so empty without Makoto...without Ami..." Usagi whispered turning back to the project of Rei's hair. Finding nothing left but her friend's silky mane she settled for running her fingers through the raven tresses. She was in too much of a shock to cry...she wanted to cry, because then it felt like she was really grieving for her friends. It would feel like she really cared that they were gone...

Rei too was worried. It wasn't good for either Usagi or the future if she couldn't work through these obstacles......if she couldn't work through her grief. Rei reached up and took a hold of Usagi's surprisingly slender wrists and removed them from her hair before turning around to face her somber friend.

"We'll get them back, Usa..." She declared ducking her head to catch Usagi's downcast gaze. Usagi's face lifted and she fixed her clouded sapphire gaze on concerned indigo ones.

"Promise?"

"I promise, baby..." Rei placed a comforting hand on Usagi's pale cheek. "Well, listen then, unless you wave me off I'm gonna kiss you now..."

Usagi exhaled sharply and looked up in earnest at her friend. "If it's not too much trouble..." She whispered.

"I mean it. I'm gonna kiss you, Usa..."

"I'm saying do it, Rei-Rei."

The stood in awkward silence only inches apart, neither moving.

Usagi chuckled nervously, "You've done this before right? I mean you've had boyfriends..." Rei laughed too and ran a hand soothingly down Usagi's arm.

Silence.

"Rei-Rei..."

"Yeah?"

"I'm standing here."

"Yeah......All I'm thinking is that we've got to be meeting Minako in just a few minutes...I mean she's already out there...and-"

Usagi took a step back. "You're right."

"I am?" Rei's voice was slightly bewildered.

"Yeah," Usagi, surprisingly, seemed disappointed. She smoothed her hands down Rei's chest (not breast, you hentai people!) and she nodded curtly.

"So...after?" Rei asked.

"Yeah..." Usagi answered after a moment, even though she knew that there wouldn't be an after...that it was now...or _never_.

"We'll meet at my house?"

And now it was never...

"Tell Mina I'm on my way..." Usagi said turning away from Rei and back to the mirror. Rei bit down on her lower lip. She opened the door to the bathroom and walked out.

With a shaky sigh Usagi braced herself against the sink. She let her head fall forward to hang close to her chest. 

****

BANG!

Usagi jumped as the bathroom door was flung open and slammed against the opposing wall. Warm hands caressed her cheeks and threaded through her blonde hair. Before she could even form a coherent thought warm, full lips enveloped her own in a searing kiss.

When Rei pulled away Usagi remained in a daze – eyes fluttered shut and sugar pink lips parted slightly.

"Nobody messes with my Hime." She exclaimed, "Never forget...we all love you Usa." She grinned and shook her fisted hands in the air, "Showtime..."

Flinging the door open again Rei strode out into the parlor, "YES!"

Usagi grinned, and waited a moment before following the Shinto Priestess out into the Parlor.

Sliding giddily into the booth, Minako found it hard not to notice Rei's unusally cheery demeanor. "What's with the look?" The blonde asked passing the raven-haired girl her milkshake.

"What look?" She asked innocently, before taking a slurp of milkshaky-goodness.

"On your face...the look...on your face......"

"I'm just...feeling good." She grinned.

Minako looked up as Usagi herself slid into the booth beside her. "Hey Usagi-chan!" She exclaimed, "Took you two long enough!"

Usagi stuck her tongue out at her almost identical _"twin"_ and slid the milkshake from Rei's hands across the table to rest in front of her. She grinned at her friends and took a sip of the rich beverage. "Mmm...cherries..."

^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%

As Mars faded into nothingness the memory of Usagi's lips on her own replayed itself over and over in her mind. And when nothing was left but her glimmering Sailor Crystal she felt nothing but an all encompassing numbness...

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R & R!

What do you think? That was kind of different…

Anyway...Part 2/ Minako's part will be coming up next...and it is branched off from this chapter...so...

Review and I'll love you forever!


	7. Usagi and MinakoRei 2

Title: The Taste of Bananas & Cherries Part Two

Author: Kitty Malfoy

Rating: Pg-13

Summary: Set during the Stars story-arc. This is going by the manga, when Rei and Minako are on the rooftop to find the Lights.

Disclaimer: All Sailormoon paraphernalia belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. The plot, though, was dutifully thought of and recorded by my faithful plot bunnies: Fufu, Tofu, Mushu, Kovu, Washu, Princess, Rags, and Patches. (Rags and Patches are twins)

A/N: If you have any suggestions for Usagi pairings email me @ thetasteofstrawberries@hotmail.com or include it in your review. 

This is Usagi/Minako btw.

YOU NEED TO READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER: THE TASTE OF BANANAS AND CHERRIES **PART ONE** BEFORE YOU READ THIS! ES IMPORTANTE!

TY...

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_Ashiteru...Venus whispered._

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"Usagi!" Minako whined as her princess dragged her through the crowds of people. "I don't want to ride it!" Either Usagi couldn't hear her over the loud voices and laughter of the people or she didn't care. It was all the Senshi of Venus could do to avoid knocking anyone over as her crazed friend dragged her haphazardly along with a vice-like grip on her wrist.

Just when Minako thought Usagi just might pull her arm off they stopped. Her sapphire eyes traveled up the rusted metal framework of the ferris wheel to where she was no longer able to see it from her current position at the base of it.

"Ok, that **definitely** doesn't look sturdy." Minako declared giving her companion a look.

"Nonsense, Mina-chan." Usagi waved Minako's comment away nonchalantly before starting up creaking, metal stairs. Frustrated, Minako fidgeted slightly deciding whether or not to follow. With a sigh she gave up and rather nervously started up the stairs after Usagi with unsure steps.

When Minako reached the platform she was not reassured by the extremely large and balding man running the attraction. The grease stains on his outgrown shirt combined with the grizzly stubble on his chin gave him an almost homeless look, much less the look of someone who actually knew how to run a ride.

With a sort of fearful reluctance she slid into the compartment next to Usagi and began to fiddle with the fringed hem of her brown leather skirt. All of her previous sarcasm drained as the questionable contraption lurched forward and started them turning in a slow circle. Minako's blatant fear was obvious through the hand the clutched to the side of the compartment and the other that held on to her seat.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of heights..." Usagi said with a laugh at her friend's stiff posture.

"No...I'm just a little nervous about riding a rickety machine to like 300 feet above the ground!" The blonde growled through clenched teeth.

Usagi smiled and linked her arm around Minako's and laughed at the hilarity of it all. As Usagi's comforting presence washed over her, Minako let go of her handholds and visibly relaxed. The only sign of her slight uncomfort was when she laced her fingers through Usagi's and held tight to her hand.

They had almost reached the top for their second rotation when their compartment suddenly screeched to a halt. Minako's shout of surprise was quickly followed by Usagi being flung forward. Only Minako's tight grip on her princess' hand kept the blonde from being flung into the opposite side of the circular seats.

"Thanks Mina-chan." Usagi voiced breathlessly as she resettled herself into her seat. Minako was white with fright and she looked at Usagi with wide, blue eyes as if she feared her friend would go tumbling forward again and this time fall over the edge. She practically had a heart attack when Usagi leaned over the back of her seat and looked down to find what was going on.

"I guess there's just a small malfunction, and we should be going around again soon." The blonde finally declared.

"I told you so..." Minako muttered under her breath as she pulled her bag into her lap and began to dig through it.

"What, Mina?"

"Nothing."

Minako pulled a plastic container onto her lap and returned her backpack to its former position. Usagi couldn't tell what it was until her flaxen haired companion lifted the lid from it. It was a very messy, very melted banana split. Usagi licked her sugar pink lips before twisting them into a mischievous grin.

With hardly seen Sailor agility Usagi's pale hand darted out and snatched one of the bananas. The chocolate covered fruit was gone before Minako could even blink. Usagi gave her a cheeky grin before licking her lips clean of any chocolatey residue.

"Bunny! You ate the best part!" Minako whined.

"I know." 

"Grr. I swear – when we get down from this Kami-forsaken contraption, I am kickin' your ass!"

Usagi laughed out loud. The sound, like tiny waterfalls, was enough to sooth Minako's rattled nerves and snuff out her anger. As Usagi's laughter dissipated and faded away the two companions sat in amiable silence for several minutes.

Then Usagi spoke, "I loved them..."

Minako turned to her in surprise. "Nani?!"

A small tear appeared at the corner of Usagi's pain filled, azure eyes; threatening to fall. "I loved them...and I let them die."

Minako didn't know what to say.

Usagi turned to her and studied her with eyes filled with tears that she wouldn't let fall. Her head was tilted slightly to the side and she gave her friend a sadly questioning look. "More of my friends will die..."

"Of course not-"

"No...they will. A-And I can't protect them."

Just then the grinding of metal on metal indicated that "Bob-the-homeless-guy" had finally fixed the ferris wheel. Usagi ended any idea of conversation when she turned her face to the outside of the compartment. Her body language and posture completely shut Minako out, but her withdrawal was not in time for Minako to miss the crystalline tear that slid down Usagi's cheek.

But Minako was not to be denied. She slid across the seat and wrapped her arms around Usagi's waist. She pressed her lips lightly against the cool skin of Usagi's throat and hummed the first few bars of the Sailor Moon theme song making her companions body thrum and vibrate.

"No, Usagi. You are the light that keeps us all _alive_."

^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%

As Venus felt herself fading away into nothingness, her mind instantly went back to that moment when all she had to worry about was getting off the ferris wheel. She knew that even as her body left this place, her love for her Princess, leader, and friend would never die.

And when all that was left of the Senshi of Love was her glimmering Sailor Crystal, Moon was so close a single crystalline tear fell upon its faceted surface and was absorbed within.

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R & R!

Sorry it took so long to get out. I'm still taking requests, and even if someone has already suggested it, I'm taking tallies to see who the most popular pick is.

Kitty Malfoy


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